PHOTO CAPTION: For presenting the most creative, innovative and promising integrated marketing campaign for the Toyota Vios, College of Business Administration students from the University of the Philippines in Diliman bagged the grand prize at the inaugural Toyota Young Marketeers Challenge (TYMC). The team received a cash grant for their school, a technology package, and an all-expense paid trip to Japan for an immersion in the Toyota Way. Photo shows Toyota Motor Philippines officials led by President Satoru Suzuki (3rd from left) and the competition judges presenting the awards to the students and faculty advisor composing the UP team.
How do you market a car that is already the country’s best selling model?
This, in a nutshell, was what the finalists of the recently held Toyota Young Marketeers Challenge had to figure out.
After rigorous rounds of pitching, planning, team collaboration, and design and implementation of the marketing campaign, the team from UP Diliman composed of William Alonzo, Samantha Ching, Hanna Laurel and Nathan Oranga came out on top.
While these four young students are no strangers to marketing competitions, they did admit to not being car people.
In short, they weren’t your typical car nut who could easily tell the difference between a magwheel nut and a sterring wheel.
Yet they were willing to learn.
They did their homework, studying the local automotive landscape. They even conducted Focus Group Discussions to see and hear what the market wanted.
And they went through the product with a fine-toothed comb.
These were what set their campaign apart from the nine other teams that took part in the finals.
Yes, being the best-selling car in the Philippines helped a lot as it really gave them a chance to what the Vios was all about.
For Toyota Motor Philippines, the UP Diliman team and the whole competition in general gave it hope that there is fresh talent out there, waiting to be tpped.
And we’re sure to see more of it in the years to come.
